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Car Computer installed.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by Presto, Jun 17, 2005.

  1. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Been working on the entertainment system in the Prius for a few weeks now. This last week was getting the final piece installed: the computer and touchscreen. The computer is nothing special... just a mobo with on-board video/sound/usb running a 600Mhz Celery processor. It was pulled out of my old car, and I didn't see a reason to spend more money than necessary.

    The screen is Xenarc 700-IDT in-dash touchscreen. There were cheaper screens, but I've been using Xenarc for the past 3 years and they do the job nicely. Taking apart the dash was easy thanks to instructions posted here. The hard part was actually getting the screen installed into the slot below the stereo. I had to drill some holes into the bracket and grind down some metal to get the screen in there.

    The main purpose of the computer is to provide music. I have my entire library of Mp3s in there. I've also loaded it with various vids to watch if i have to wait around. I also have wireless so I can get access from any open network. In the near future, I'll be installing a GPS for road trips and pin-pointing wireless networks. A computer is not for everyone, but I like the versatility of having a computer vs a dvd deck that can play dvds/mp3s. This ends up being less expensive as well. How 'bout that? :)

    Here's a pic of the installed screen. I'll post up more pics if people are interested in seeing more of the setup. I really need to clean up the amp rack, though. I've had to do some changes from what was originally intended so it looks a bit like a bird's nest right now



    [Broken External Image]:http://intdata.homeip.net/albums/dansprius/IMG_0125.sized.jpg
     
  2. AfonsoSilva

    AfonsoSilva New Member

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    Hi Presto,

    Nice going! Did you get the computer to output sound to the JBL stereo system? How do you power the computer?

    Thanks for the picture!
     
  3. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Thanks:)

    The computer is currently outputting to the aftermarket amps. Another one of my plans is to install a relay for the stock amp line inputs so I can output the computer to the stock amp, and then switch sources by using a switch to operate the relay. I'm not getting any MFD beeps now.


    The computer is getting power from a car computer specific 12volt power supply that i bought off of mp3car.com . Previous versions of my car computer used a regular 110volt 80watt power supply which recieved it's power through an inverter. I could've done the same thing with this, but DC->AC->DC power conversion seemed stupid and inefficient. It was just what was available at the time.
     
  4. jfh3

    jfh3 New Member

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    Can you provide more details on the computer part(s)? Not sure what a "mobo" is.

    Thanks.
     
  5. Kev1000000

    Kev1000000 New Member

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    ^^ a "mobo" is a short word for motherboard...

    A motherboard is basically the control center of a computer
     
  6. jfh3

    jfh3 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kev1000000\";p=\"99752)</div>
    Thanks. I know what a motherboard is, just never heard the term "mobo".

    Can you provide more detail on the parts used? Where did you mount the motherboard? Is there a harddrive?
     
  7. PhilCase

    PhilCase New Member

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    Congrats Presto,

    It is my hope to add a carputer sometime next year, however, if I do it I'm determined to use the MFD for I/O. Unfortunately work is rather demanding the rest of this year (They are in the process of turning my job into two at this time) so it will be quite a while before I have time to tear into that project.

    If someone will get nano-itx profiles out of the "vaporware" stage of development, I'd like the entire system to fit into the stack slot beneath the radio.

    Phil
     
  8. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jfh3\";p=\"99758)</div>

    Just got a few more pics done tonight. Here is a picture of the package. There is the motherboard on the left, the hard drive on the right, and right behind the hard drive where the capacitors are sticking out is the 12volt ATX power supply. I have it mounted on a 1/4" board, which kinda sucks now that i have it installed. It's pretty weak stuff as screws just tear it up:

    [Broken External Image]:http://intdata.homeip.net/albums/dansprius/IMG_0090.sized.jpg


    That's it for the computer. Since it has on-board video and sound there's no need to any expansion cards. I will upgrade this in the future when I have more funds. It curently has 320MB of ram, 600Mhz Celery, 80GB hard drive.

    Here's how it looks when the driver's seat is in normal position. Ignore the wire coming out it's just the wireless adapter which I don't know where to place yet :) :
    [Broken External Image]:http://intdata.homeip.net/albums/dansprius/IMG_0092.sized.jpg

    The next one is a shot of the amp rack. This is the first revision so I'll get it looking a lot better as one of the next things to do. I had the board all cut and then ended up changing the 40watt rms Rockford amp to the Kenwood KAC-649s pushing more power. The amp on the left is an old
    Sony XM260G cranking sufficient power to the Infinity Kappa 10" Subwoofer:
    [Broken External Image]:http://intdata.homeip.net/albums/dansprius/IMG_0094.sized.jpg
    I can put the cover on it to hide it and give it a cleaner look, but my amps will overheat in that space. I am going to cut a board the same shape and size as the stock, upolstered cover, and mount 2 fans for intake and exhaust.
     
  9. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PhilCase\";p=\"99767)</div>
    You'll have to let me know if you find any success in using the MFD for I/O. I know you can at least get a composite video signal to it, but getting the touchscreen to interact with the computer is where I got stumped. Now that I have 2 screens, it seems better. I have better information distribution instead of having to go through menus in an all-in-one MFD.

    I am looking into ITX boards as the next step as they are far smaller than a regular motherboard. This nano-itx sounds intriguing. You can really get the computer out of the way with that. I'll have to keep tabs on that.
     
  10. chrism07924

    chrism07924 New Member

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    Hey, cool stuff! Have you read about the guys putting the IPod mini in cars? They were featured in the NYTimes not that long ago. Seems like you're on the forefront of the overall trend.

    One question, I'm not an electronics person but wouldn't the particle board you have the mobo on get REAL hot? I know just using my Powerbook G4 (which is encased in Titanium) is sometimes really hot.
     
  11. PhilCase

    PhilCase New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chrism07924\";p=\"99842)</div>
    Good observation, the reason that particle board will work in this install is that the processor is a relatively slow (and cool) 600mhz Celeron. With the fan he has on it, it simply doesn't build up the kind of heat that your powerbook does.

    Phil
     
  12. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chrism07924\";p=\"99842)</div>
    I haven't read up on that, but I did consider the possibility of using an mp3 player, but I wanted far more versatility and expandability so that's why I went the route of the computer.

    The motherboard is fairly old technology. It's at least 3 years old and the 600mhz Celeron processor doesn't generate much heat. Also, I don't have the motherboard touching the particle board. It is mounted on risers that lift the motherboard almost 1/4" off the particle board so there can be some limited air movement under the board.

    Heat was a huge factor in choosing what kind of processor/motherboard combo I would use. I wasn't prepared to buy any new hardware right now so I only had choices of what I currently had on hand. I could've used a 1.13Ghz AMD Athlon, but on hot days that would overheat. Older Athlons would make the heatsink far hotter than a Celeron. The Celeron heatsink is always cool to the touch.
     
  13. PhilCase

    PhilCase New Member

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    Yea, the problem for me is that a radio stackable footprint is a requirement for whatever I do, and while mini-itx profiles are currently available they are still too big to fit in that slot.

    If nano-itx gets to the "we are actually selling it" stage, it's supposed to have a 12cm x 12cm footprint. While would be small enough to start making progress; keeping in mind that a power supply and the MFD interface will also have to fit into that slot.

    It will be some work, but a lot of fun :) ---- when I get my life back! :(

    Phil
     
  14. chrism07924

    chrism07924 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto\";p=\"99861)</div>
    I haven't read up on that, but I did consider the possibility of using an mp3 player, but I wanted far more versatility and expandability so that's why I went the route of the computer.

    The motherboard is fairly old technology. It's at least 3 years old and the 600mhz Celeron processor doesn't generate much heat. Also, I don't have the motherboard touching the particle board. It is mounted on risers that lift the motherboard almost 1/4" off the particle board so there can be some limited air movement under the board.

    Heat was a huge factor in choosing what kind of processor/motherboard combo I would use. I wasn't prepared to buy any new hardware right now so I only had choices of what I currently had on hand. I could've used a 1.13Ghz AMD Athlon, but on hot days that would overheat. Older Athlons would make the heatsink far hotter than a Celeron. The Celeron heatsink is always cool to the touch.[/b][/quote]

    Interesting. BTW, I goofed - I meant to say the Apple "Mini", not the Ipod mini - i.e. that little brick of a computer without the monitor. It's just smaller than a radio deck, you've probably seen it.

    If I had a computer like yours in the Pri, I think I'd try to load nav software with attached I/O GPS receiver unit (if they sell it like that). Then, I'd use the mp3 features of course. And I'd also try to connect a 3G compatible PC card, and hook that to an extended antenna to surf the web while on the road and in need of info (not at the same time of course). I'd probably also upload pics.
     
  15. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Member

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    Presto,

    You are one of the pioneers... Hats off!

    Besides DVDs/MP3s, what else have you used your carputer for on the road?

    BigDaddy
     
  16. BobR

    BobR Member

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    I plan on adding a Mac Mini to my Prius. Currently I'm using my Laptop with the Route 66 Software and an USGlobalSat BU-303 GPS receiver.
    http://www.usglobalsat.com/shop/item.asp?i...emid=11&catid=4
    http://www.66.com/route66/index.php
    It works well, but Route 66 is a bit sluggish. I don't want to add an additional screen, so the hinge pin for me is Coastal Dave's A/V interface or VAIS Tech coming out with a model that will work with the Prius.
    http://www.vaistech.com/home.html

    I would be very interested if anyone has found a way to add a video input to the MFD.

    Bob
     
  17. Blue

    Blue New Member

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    Any thoughts on using a HTPC frontend with that display? There are a number of them out there, such as Meedio.

    Nice job, BTW...
     
  18. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    The Mac Mini would be a nice car computer that is for sure. It's a powerful little package. Ultimately, I'd like one of those little guys when I have more funds. It's very low on the priority list right now, though. Any computer in a car would do as long as it's current enough to have USB. There's so many peripherals available. Whatever you want to do with the computer, you can probably do it.

    Right now, I am using Media Engine. It's freeware car pc software that is very intuitive and easy to use. Their website is http://www.mediaengine.org . The program allows for playing movies and mp3s as a primary feature. There is also GPS software support, but I haven't tried that out yet. It allows for different 'skins' to change the look of the interface. As far as I can tell, there is no Toyota or Prius skin made for it yet.

    I've had GPS in the previous version of the car computer, but the USB GPS device was borrowed from a friend that didn't use it except when he goes on annual vacations. It is a basic USB GPS from http://www.deluogps.com . Considering it is more than 2 years old, it worked quite well. There are newer versions out now that are probably more accurate. I'm still looking for a good deal on one in Canada.

    I want to get a wifi antenna to snag more networks. I liked to randomly cruise around to see about finding open networks. Vancouver has tons and tons of networks. My friend recently mapped out Coquitlam and there are a few hundred easily acquired access points. If all else fails, Best Buy or their sister store, Future Shop, has a hotspot for websurfing.

    Car computing has come a long way in the past few years... I remember when I started out with a Sony PSOne screen and outputting video compositely to get it to display. I used a touchpad for control. It was a functional ghetto car computer :). I still have a site for it at http://thiscar.doesntexist.com .